A probe system normally includes a mobile probe head and a stationary transceiver element. The probe head in the form of a momentary-contact switch has a deflectable stylus, which outputs a signal when deflected out of its rest position or when the stylus is contacted, and which, in particular, is used for determining the position of workpieces that are clamped in material-processing machines, e.g., machine tools. In this context, the rest position of the stylus should be understood to be a position in which the stylus has no contact with the workpiece to be probe-contacted. When the stylus is in contact with the workpiece, the stylus is deflected out of its rest position, and a suitable transducer generates an electrical sensor signal if the deflection exceeds a specified probing threshold. The electrical sensor signal is often converted into a radio and/or an infrared signal, thereby making it possible to achieve a contactless and wireless signal communication with the transceiver element of the probe system.
In this transceiver element, the wirelessly communicated signals are reconverted into electrical signals. The transceiver element of the probe system is connected to sequential electronics, to which the electrical signals are forwarded for analysis, and ultimately provided to the control of the machine tool, for example. The position of the workpiece to be measured can then be determined based on the measured position of the particular machine tool part.
The use of a corresponding probe head therefore makes it possible to scan the contour of a workpiece, for example, but also the contour of a tool. If a workpiece is scanned, the probe head normally is arranged in a manner that allows it to move relative to the transceiver element, and if a tool is scanned, the probe head is usually mounted so as to be stationary relative to the transceiver element.
A probe system of the type mentioned above, in which wireless signal communication via infrared light is provided, is described in European Patent No. 1 445 747.
European Published Patent Application No. 2 317 278 describes a probe system in which certain signals are communicated by light waves and certain signals are communicated by radio waves.